mosquito prevention

A Better Way to Keep Mosquitoes at Bay

/ Environmental Services / 3 Comments

Getting rid of mosquitoes doesn’t have to involve deadly chemicals or the latest expensive gimmick. Effective control is a combination of vigilance, personal repellent and using the right products to target specific areas.

Garlic barrier, commonly sold as Mosquito Barrier, has been used for years in agriculture to repel insects from crops and even keep birds from eating tree fruits. It works by overwhelming the mosquito’s sensory system which is 10,000 times more finely tuned than ours. Once the product is dry, you can’t smell it, but they sure can – and they can’t stand it! As it is not a contact pesticide like other backyard sprays, it is safe for beneficial insects like bees and butterflies.

Easy to apply

Sold as a liquid concentrate, garlic barrier is 95-99% garlic with a natural sulfur compound that repels mosquitoes and other pests. There are three easy steps to mix and apply:

  • Dilute the concentrate with water according to the label in a clean pump sprayer that has not held herbicides or “weed and feed.”
  • Pressurize the container by pumping, and apply to shrubs, trees, fences and other structures around the perimeter of your yard. Spray as high as you can reach and avoid coating flowers.
  • Reapply after it rains or after 30 days, whichever comes first.

This can be a great tool to use ahead of a pool party, family barbeque, or to simply enjoy your yard free from pesky bloodsuckers.

As this creates a barrier at the edge of your yard, make sure you don’t have any sneaky water sources within the perimeter that are breeding mosquitoes. Keep in mind, many common culprits are out of of sight. Do you have any of the following?

  • French drains
  • Gutters with leaf debris
  • A water meter box that gets flooded by rain or irrigation
  • Plant saucers
  • Toys, tarps or bags of potting soil that collect water

Address these first so you aren’t trapping mosquitoes within your property.

For other easy ways to mosquito-proof your patio – check out this two-part series.

For more information on keeping mosquitoes out of your backyard, check out thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/mosquitoinfo. To report a mosquito problem, contact the Environmental Services Department at enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or 281-210-3800.

How mosquitoes find you

/ Environmental Services / Leave a comment

As weather warms, mosquitoes seemingly come out of the woodwork. How is it that they are always able to find you?

  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image
  • Gallery Image

Keen senses

Mosquitoes use a highly tuned sensory system to zero in on their next blood meal. About 200 feet away, mosquitoes get the first whiffs of carbon dioxide we exhale as we enjoy a bit of gardening or a jog down the pathway. Following the plume – whether it is emitted by us, our furry companions, or a mockingbird up in the trees – brings them closer to the potential host.

Once the carbon dioxide has drawn her within sight, she is further attracted by dark colors and high-contrast patterns. Remember this the next time you reach for something to wear to the neighborhood picnic. Long, loose, light-colored clothing with a tight weave is a good first defense against the piercing mouthparts of the female mosquito. She seeks a blood meal, not to feed herself, but in pursuit of protein to make eggs.  You might be surprised to know that mosquitoes drink plant nectar to fuel their bodies, and pollinate plants in the process.

Getting warmer

Cues

When within three feet the mosquito can sense the heat signature of your body, differentiating you from say, a park bench. Investigating further, she hones in on a specific area to land using “smells” she picks up through her antennae. Lactic acid, uric acid, and ammonia in sweat, as well as the scent of fabric softeners, perfumes and colognes can all attract mosquitoes.

Cloaking spray

Mosquito repellants can employ a couple different mechanisms in your defense. One is to jam chemical signals from reaching a mosquito’s antennae. The other is to be offensive to the mosquito once she lands and can “taste” it with her feet.  Repellents may use one or both mechanisms – termed primary and secondary repellency.

As we each have a unique chemical signature, try a few repellents to find the one that’s most effective for you. Look past the brand name on the front of the bottle to the bottom. There you’ll find one of the active ingredients the CDC recommends: Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, DEET, or IR3535. What works best for you might be different from your partner or kids.

Sensory Trickery

Mosquito_Trap with Lure

The Mosquito Surveillance & Education Program of The Woodlands Township uses the mosquito’s keen sensory perception to our advantage. We use a variety of lures and baits to attract mosquitoes into traps for weekly monitoring throughout the Township. For example, the Biogents Sentinel trap uses a lure that smells a lot like stinky gym socks. It also has a high-contrast color pattern and can be made more appealing by the addition of dry ice to emit carbon dioxide. These three features mimic a human host, drawing the mosquitoes close enough to be sucked into a net by a battery-powered fan. The captured mosquitoes are collected the next morning and sent to a laboratory for identification and disease testing. Tracking changes in the number of mosquitoes caught, species present, and disease trends over time provides the foundation for mosquito control activities in The Woodlands.

Learn more about mosquitoes and how to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne disease at http://www.thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov/MosquitoInfo. To report a mosquito concern email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or call 281-210-3800.

Monitoring Mosquito-Borne Disease in The Woodlands

/ Environmental Services

The buzzing has begun! As summer approaches, the Environmental Services department would like to remind you that “mosquito season” is here. May is when the Texas Department of State Health Services begins testing mosquito samples for disease.

The Environmental Services (ES) Mosquito Team is out setting traps that target the vectors for West Nile virus (WNv).  The last two years, we’ve experienced high WNv disease activity in The Woodlands. In 2020, 12% of mosquito samples tested positive for the disease and 8% in 2021.

To prevent the spread of mosquitos (and mosquito-borne illnesses) – the ES Mosquito Team reminds residents to take a moment every week to empty containers holding water and scrub out birdbaths. Some of the most common mosquito breeding sites found around the yard are – plant saucers, toys, wheelbarrows, buckets, and birdbaths. Follow these simple guidelines and reduce the buzzing in your backyard!

IMG_1526

If you are having a problem with mosquitos and cannot locate the source, please call Environmental Services at 281-210-2058. For more information on mosquito-proofing your yard check out this two-part series.

Two of the most common places where mosquito larvae are found: plant saucers and birdbaths.
Two of the most common places where mosquito larvae are found: plant saucers and birdbaths.

Tell Mosquitoes to Bug Off…

/ Environmental Services / Leave a comment

BUG OFF- USING MOSQUITO REPELLENT

Recent rains and warm temperatures have produced a bumper crop of flood plain mosquitoes. Fortunately, these annoying biters are just that, annoying; they don’t carry disease. Unfortunately, The Woodlands has other species that do. So, before you head outdoors, especially at dawn and dusk, reach for a repellent that keeps the biters at bay.

There are nearly 50 species of mosquitoes in The Woodlands and likely as many choices of repellent. Make it easy on yourself, choose one that contains one of the four, EPA approved active ingredients: DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, and oil of lemon eucalyptus. EPA makes it even easier to find a repellent that meets your specific needs with their online search tool.

Continue reading →

Hiring! Seasonal Mosquito Technicians 2021

/ Environmental Services / Leave a comment

The Environmental Services Department is looking for enthusiastic, dedicated, independent individuals to join the Mosquito Team. Increase your field and laboratory experience while being an important part of this public health and outreach program.

  • Work as part of a team to monitor for mosquito-borne diseases
  • Deploy traps throughout The Woodlands that target different species
  • Use your interpersonal skills while sharing information with the public
  • Delve into the world of mosquito anatomy and identification in the lab
  • Expand your knowledge of water conservation, recycling right, sustainable landscapes and more supporting Environmental Services programs and events

Positions are from mid-May through end of November with an opportunity to extend the term of employment (can also accommodate students returning to college in August).

Apply today!

Applications will be accepted until April 16, 2021, or until position is filled. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit applications early. View the full job description here.

Questions? Email enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or call Environmental Services 281-210-3800.

Established in 2005, the mission of the Mosquito Surveillance & Education Program is to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne disease transmission for the protection and wellbeing of The Woodlands residents through the application of Integrated Mosquito Management. Learn what you can do to target mosquitoes.